Lady Gaga on transforming Into Harley Quinn for 'Joker: Folie a Deux'
Actor and singer Lady Gaga revels in the eccentric, whether it is her personality, style or her singing. With her upcoming film Joker: Folie a Deux, where she plays Harley Quinn, the A Star is Born actor talks about upping her crazy to match that of Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker. Excerpts from the interview:
How much did you know about Harley Quinn before signing up for Joker: Folie a Deux?
I was a fan of her and that whole world. I was fascinated by how interesting and cool she was.
How did you approach playing such an iconic character?
My version of Harley Quinn is Lee. She’s very different to what people may expect. I was deeply moved by the first film, and I fell in love with Arthur as a character. So, it was important for me to understand Todd’s (writer/director Todd Phillips) vision for this story. But what I love is how the character of Harley in this film is somebody that is completely real and vulnerable. She has a complete love for Arthur. It really is a love story.
But everything in this movie is intended to tell a very specific and special story through our wonderful director. I just had a beautiful experience as part of such an amazing cast.
How much did your musical talent influence your performance?
Well, my character is not a singer, so I worked a lot on making sure that I would not think about my technique—my breathing or any of the things that I would normally do—as a singer. The songs and Harley Quinn is singing needed to come from who she was.
I discovered her over a period of time with both Todd and Joaquin. So the voice you hear in the film is not my voice, it’s Lee’s. It was a special experience coming up with that and stripping away all of my technique as a performer.
What made you want to belong to Joker’s world?
It was the first film. It deeply moved me. I think sometimes when stories are told about people that are, maybe, misunderstood by society, the director and the actor give you a chance to take a hard look at that world. When I watched the first film, I felt I saw something that I had never seen before. That is why I decided to do this movie.
What was it like physically transforming into Harley Quinn?
We transformed into our characters over a period of time and we continued to hone every kind of detail. It was a collaborative process. We all worked together. Everything visually in the film was made like a painting, from the music to the wardrobe.
Is there a scene from the film that stands out for you?
I would say the waltz. That was really special. We rehearsed for a few months. It’s interesting because it’s a waltz that kind of falls apart. It’s a nice expression of this very strange love between the two of them.
What was it like working with Joaquin as Joker?
Working with Joaquin was a total breeze. It was a completely different experience than I had ever had with an actor. He is incredibly free. I learned so much… going on set with a preconceived notion of what we were going to do, was kind of the wrong idea.
I think we all really thrived in the chaos of it all.
Is this movie a musical?
Not in the traditional sense of a musical. This is a movie that defies any one genre. There’s fantasy, reality... When you go see the film, you will realise that you couldn’t have possibly thought of it on your own (laughs). In order to make that happen, we had to find the truth and the honest moment in each scene.
You have said that you want to change the world with music and movies. What do you mean by that?
It sounds like I said that when I was in my twenties (laughs). What I really meant is that I believe movies and music have tremendous power to change the way people feel. That is part of why I love to create.
When can we expect to hear new music from you?
Soon. I’m working on new music all the time.
Finally, what do you hope audiences take away from Joker: Folie a Deux?
That’s completely down to each individual’s experience. This is such a unique movie, a movie you need to see in the theatre. It has music, it has dancing, it has everything.
—Asia Features
“I think sometimes when stories are told about people that are, maybe, misunderstood by society, the director and the actor give you a chance to take a hard look at that world. ”